The "International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility" IFMIF

Materials Research for Fusion Power Reactors

Abstract

The International Fusion Materials Facility (IFMIF) is projected for research on material behaviour under high-energy, fusion relevant neutron irradiation. It is dedicated to deliver a material database for the construction of fusion reactors such as DEMO and future fusion power plants. IFMIF is therefore a relevant step on the progress towards harnessing fusion power as a reliable, safe and sustainable source of energy.

IFMIF will provide an accelerator based neutron source, with an optimized neutron energy spectrum. Behind the neutron source, several irradiation experiments (test modules) will be installed, to contain material specimen for post irradiation examination, or for in-situ experiments.

The IFMIF project is currently being advanced in the “Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities” (EVEDA) phase, as a joint effort of Japan and several European countries. At KIT, subsystems of the test facilities are being developed and tested, namely the High Flux Test Module and the Target- and Testcell, as well as other devices and facilities.